Review | Dell Alienware M15 R7: a powerful gaming laptop without pyrotechnics

Those familiar with video games know that the Alienware brand is a “penetrated watermelon”. Since its beginnings in Miami, before being acquired by Dell, it has always been dedicated to this world. And soon after launch, they managed to grab attention by using the aliens and pop culture associated with them as their logo and brand identity, which at the time, at the height of The Secret X FilesThey were in full swing.

A little less than a decade later, the giant Dell bought Alienware, long interested in wanting to enter the niche player in high demand. It was then that the brand took off and its presence in different markets multiplied.

Although Alienware still retains that cult air it originally had, today it’s battling against a much more product and expanded market. Many manufacturers are currently targeting a coveted niche of consumers, who are very willing to try out the latest computer technologies and, of course, also shell out a little more money for a better experience. prime with their video games, whether for titles with high technical demand or for long online competition sessions.

This line of Alienware laptops – the M15 R7 – today ranks mid-to-high in terms of demand level player, and we’ll explain why. The above, yes, does not mean a poor experience at all. On the contrary: we are talking about a range of laptops capable of satisfying the highest demands for productivity, leisure or content creation.

Let’s take it for granted: there is no problem with this type of use here. We are talking about greater demand, which is logically necessary not only to run video games, but also to take advantage of all the innovations in visualization, graphics, sound, lighting and much more. This is where muscle and power are needed, and in this vein, Alienware has never disappointed.

Here we are going to review the latest iteration of this line, the M15 R7, which was available a few months ago in national stores in various configurations. We had the pleasure of testing the model with AMD Ryzen 7 processor.

• Dimensions : 356.2 x 272.5 x 23.95mm
• lester : 2.69kg.
• Filter : 15.6″ (1920×1080) 165Hz 16:9
• Processor : AMD Ryzen 7 6800H
• Graphic card : NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070i
• Memory : Up to 64GB LPDDR5 RAM
• Storage : PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD up to 1TB
• connectivity : Wi-Fi 6, / Bluetooth 5.2
• Operating system : Windows 11 Home Edition (64-bit)
• Battery : 3 Cells 56WH
• ports : 3 USB-A 3.2 / 1 USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 / 1 DisplayPort 1.4 with Power Delivery / 1 HDMI 2.1 / 1 Ethernet 2.5Gbps / 1 3.5mm audio input

Pulling the Alienware M15 out of the box, we were greeted with a pretty, but not compelling, design. In fact, let’s say it has a rather classic expression, beyond a few design details that reveal that the team has an aesthetic focus towards video games. In other words, there are no major changes or innovations compared to previous generations, perhaps a way of saying that the most important thing is inside.

The material is a bit heavy, weighing two and a half kilos, which makes it portable but not easy to carry in a backpack. It’s not light, but at the same time it makes it very strong and sturdy.

It is good laptopdark gray (or “The dark side of the moon“, as the brand calls the tone), with stylized lines and a matte finish that is very pleasant to the touch. It is not in appearance a “tank”, like other high-end equipment.

It should be noted that a large part of the ports are located at the back of the notebook, joined by an elegant RGB-lit border. There is an input for LAN/Ethernet connections, the power socket and an HDMI input. Very practical, because logically there are more.

On the sides we have three USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 inputs (with data transmission up to 5 Gbps, and another with power supply for charging), a Thunderbolt 4/USB-C input with power supply and an HDMI 2.1 input . With that, we are more than covered.

When open, its full RGB backlit keyboard stands out, with a large key enter and one touchpad comfortable size, neither too big nor too small. Above is a hexagonal honeycomb pattern for the vents, and on the right side is the brand’s familiar alien logo, which also makes them power button. The stereo sound system with Dolby Atmos is quite powerful, with a good bass accent. And above the screen there is a 720p camera, which it’s time to upgrade to FullHD.

The model, yes, is made with an innovative thermal system, which guarantees maximum performance for long periods. They achieve this thanks to a pioneering technique: using gallium-silicon, element 31 of the periodic table, as a dissipative material, an application that replaces traditional thermal pastes. Additionally, the system features redesigned fan blades that are now thinner, wider and more numerous, providing up to 1.3x more airflow through your computer. Well there in terms of performance.

The screen is another of its strengths. Its IPS LCD panel has a generous 15.6 inches, Dolby Vision certification for HDR images -high dynamic range- and a refresh rate of up to 165Hz, more than necessary for high performance and excellent response time, even at a competitive level. The resolution, yes, only reaches Full HD (1920 x 1080), which for that time could have been a bit higher. Is it difficult to access Ultra HD?

When it comes to performance, the computer is nothing short of a beast of power and processing, capable of performing any task thrown at it, no matter how demanding. This generation has mobile processors from AMD of new architecture, the 6000 series, which at this stage has nothing to envy to Intel – the choice is already a matter of taste. These offer computing performance up to 1.3 times higher than that of the previous generation.

As for the graphics card, today as essential to the gaming experience as a good processor, the Alienware M15 R7 has an excellent NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti (8 GB GDDR6X). Powered by a new thermal system, the component runs at full power, with a maximum TGP of 140W. It’s not NVIDIA’s latest card, it’s not even the top of the line this generation, but it has enough muscle to display graphics in its maximum expression. In some moments of peak demand, it was possible to feel some heat in the machine, but nothing too alarming.

I tested it with three video games, all very different: the Metro: Exodusa die Spongebob and another from the universe little big planet, a PlayStation original. There were no performance issues with any of them, not even with the first one, which is very graphically demanding. Everything went smoothly and quickly.

On the other hand, the model has also received an upgrade in RAM memory: now they are made of sticks with the DDR5 standard (4800 MHz), in this case with a solid 32 GB, although the device offers the possibility of doubling this capacity. In this sense, and despite the fact that we already have equipment with even more power on the market, as a gaming laptop, this Alienware absolutely meets everything that is necessary. A plus is that this generation hits stores with Windows 11 on board.

within reach player, you could say that this team is in the mid-range, leaning towards the high end. There are some small sacrifices in the design, ventilation and even specification aspects – which are also not lacking – in order to achieve an attractive price. Its appearance is neither flashy nor flashy, the ventilation and cooling could be improved, and the screen resolution is a bit short. There’s nothing fresh from the oven of innovation here, but it doesn’t have to be either. He’s not the soul of this team and that’s fine, because there’s definitely an audience that doesn’t need it that much. bling bling.

The Alienware M15 R7 has a good mix: (almost) next-gen features make this laptop attractive, more inside than out, mainly for its price. A model that in some way resembles that of its direct rival, the HP Omen 16 —which we talked about here a while ago—, so the competition is more than anything in terms of final price and preferences users. Because for the public looking for a machine to run any video game smoothly, the Alienware M15 R7 largely meets the need.

Of course, it’s not one of those teams player beastly, but it strikes a good balance in its lineup, whether for casual gaming or performing heavy daily tasks, like multi-tabbed browsers, running design or editing programs, or apps generation of audiovisual content. A very good screen and a feeling of robustness complete a team very, very well in its range, even despite small sacrifices.

Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ (4/5)

*Prices for products in this item are updated as of March 21, 2023. Values ​​and availability may change.